A BBC investigation has discovered that although around 300,000 people in Scotland are privately prescribed weight-loss medications, only 800 Scottish people have received GLP-1 treatments for weight loss on the NHS.
Only five out of nine of Scotland’s health boards offer GLP-1 medications for weight loss, and those that do only offer them as part of small pilot trials. This is despite Mounjaro being approved in Scotland since 2023 and Wegovy since 2024.
Leading doctors have voiced concerns around the lack of access widening health inequalities, with one in three Scots being classified as obese.
The BBC reports that the Scottish Government says there are various treatment options for obesity and that individual health boards are responsible for decisions about the availability of medicines.
The BBC uncovered the figures following a freedom of information request.
About the Author: Erin Dearlove
A BBC investigation has discovered that although around 300,000 people in Scotland are privately prescribed weight-loss medications, only 800 Scottish people have received GLP-1 treatments for weight loss on the NHS.
Only five out of nine of Scotland’s health boards offer GLP-1 medications for weight loss, and those that do only offer them as part of small pilot trials. This is despite Mounjaro being approved in Scotland since 2023 and Wegovy since 2024.
Leading doctors have voiced concerns around the lack of access widening health inequalities, with one in three Scots being classified as obese.
The BBC reports that the Scottish Government says there are various treatment options for obesity and that individual health boards are responsible for decisions about the availability of medicines.
The BBC uncovered the figures following a freedom of information request.
About the Author: Erin Dearlove
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